Two days later, Saturday afternoon, Kyoto.
As it was already February, both office workers and students were beginning to enjoy their pleasant holiday. Combined with the weekend afternoon, the streets of various cities across Japan - particularly major ones like Kyoto - were bustling with continuous streams of people.
In the bustling commercial districts of those major cities, large screens were everywhere, broadcasting television news and sponsored advertisements.
"The investigation into the explosion at Shitennō-ji Temple two months ago is still ongoing. The Metropolitan Police Department has established a special investigation team and is working at full capacity, promising to uncover the truth as soon as possible and provide the people of Japan with answers..."
As they listened to the television broadcast on the large screen, passersby either paid no attention or wore disdainful expressions.
"Hah, it's been two months, and they still haven't identified a single suspect, yet they call it a special investigation team."
"Exactly! All they ever say is 'we're working on it'. I just don't understand - with such a major case, how can there be absolutely no clues?"
"If you ask me, we'd be better off counting on Mask and Kira."
"Hey, do you think the culprit might have already been found by those two? Or even eliminated?"
"That's possible too... But Mask and Kira aren't official organisations after all, and they don't hold press conferences or anything. Ah, I'm really curious about this."
Just then, the image on the large screen flickered several times, emitting bursts of static.
Seeing this, pedestrians couldn't help but stop and watch the snowy screen, whispering to each other in confusion.
"What's happening? Is there a problem with the TV station's signal source?"
"Maybe the screen is broken?"
Keika Kawasaki, who was shopping with her sister Saki Kawasaki and Marin Kitagawa, tugged at Saki's sleeve and pointed at the large screen.
"Sister, what's going on?"
"I don't know either."
Saki Kawasaki shook her head and smiled reassuringly.
"But it's fine, it's just an electronic malfunction, no need to be afraid..."
At that moment, the large screen suddenly flickered several times again, and then a girl's calm voice came from it.
"Hello everyone, please quiet down and listen carefully to what we have to say."
"Eh?"
Hearing this voice that sounded somewhat altered yet strangely familiar, Saki Kawasaki couldn't help but look up at the large screen.
Appearing on it was a mysterious figure standing in an empty room, bathed in light, wearing a pure white coat with pale golden patterns, with golden pupils.
"That's..."
Saki Kawasaki quickly covered her mouth, almost accidentally calling out Miko Yotsuya's name without thinking.
"Is that Mask's companion?"
"Right! When I went to buy figurines last time, I saw one of her!"
"She was in that Sunny Doll Killer livestream too!"
The image on the screen changed again, showing another mysterious figure wearing a bone mask and a pale white coat, with a very petite build.
"Recently, the mental breakdown of Seishu Akoya, Director of the Metropolitan Police Department's mobile unit, the series of accidental deaths in Tokyo, and the destruction of Shitennoji Temple..."
At this point, the image changed once more, showing a previously unseen girl wearing a peach-pink mask, her voice sounding very lively.
"Through our investigation, we've discovered that this series of incidents was all planned by the same person!"
As the screen flickered again, Mai Sakurajima, wearing a rabbit-eared mask, continued.
"The person who committed these heinous crimes is..."
The next second, another previously unseen mysterious figure appeared on the screen, wearing a coat with lightning and cloud patterns.
"Rikka Sakuragawa."
As Hina Amano's words fell, a photograph of Rikka Sakuragawa appeared directly on the large screen, allowing every pedestrian on the street to see Rikka Sakuragawa's features clearly.
The scene shifted again, showing a woman dressed in pure black form-fitting clothes, with a model-like tall figure, wearing a black top hat and a mask covering only the upper half of her face. She spoke in an icy tone:
"Criminals cannot escape judgment."
"We will make this promise here..."
The moment Kira appeared on screen, many among the pedestrians watching the large screen gasped in surprise.
After a brief pause of two or three seconds, accompanied by inspiring music, the figure wearing a black overcoat and a pure black mask appeared on screen, and the crowd could no longer contain their cheers.
"Mask!"
"It's Mask themself!"
"Oh my god, am I dreaming?"
Listening to the enthusiastic cheers of the surrounding crowd, including her younger sister beside her, Saki Kawasaki realised in that moment that, without anyone noticing, Mask had transformed from an initial criminal into a hero with countless supporters.
"Criminal, creator of death, evil who spreads panic - Rikka Sakuragawa."
Ye Xing stepped into the frame, his black mask seeming to transform into flames, burning fiercely.
"We will completely erase you from this world."
As the screen turned completely black amidst the BGM, the atmosphere at the scene reached its peak. Across various cities in Japan, all citizens who had witnessed this broadcast erupted in enthusiastic cheers at that moment.
...
Meanwhile, in an apartment in some city, Rikka Sakuragawa, who had watched the entire television broadcast, showed no visible change in expression, but her slightly trembling hands betrayed her nervous state.
"H-how... how is this possible..."
Rikka Sakuragawa murmured to herself, her eyes revealing disbelief.
"How did they discover my identity..."
Just as the Supernatural Society members had speculated, Rikka Sakuragawa's soul's true form, Izanami, possessed two special abilities.
The first was to draw out the desires hidden deep within human hearts and transform the target into a psychic.
To call it a transformation wasn't entirely accurate.
Each time she used this ability, Rikka Sakuragawa would lose a large amount of life force. For someone whose physical condition wasn't good to begin with, this was equivalent to trading her life for the birth of a psychic.
But because Rikka Sakuragawa had eaten mermaid flesh as a child, she had obtained a true immortal body. This cursed constitution directly offsets the cost of using this ability.
The second special characteristic was that Izanami, at the complete cost of sacrificing its own combat power, though it could actively manifest, it couldn't even defeat an adult man, gained an extremely exaggerated control range.
Currently, aside from Ye Xing, the maximum distance at which Supernatural Society members could control their soul's true forms didn't exceed one kilometre.
And Rikka Sakuragawa had tested it - the maximum distance she could maintain Izanami's presence was nearly half of Japan.
To put it that way might not be very intuitive.
Simply put.
If Rikka Sakuragawa was in Tokyo, the farthest reach of her soul's true form could directly cover the edges of Hokkaido and China on the other end.
Such ability truly lived up to bearing the name Izanami.
Rikka Sakuragawa was a very intelligent person. Though not entirely mentally sound, she was still clever.
All her actions had never been carried out personally; instead, she used Izanami's power to create psychics, gather believers, and guide things from the shadows.
Rikka Sakuragawa had only one goal.
To create an unprecedented disaster in Japan, then use the nature of the Reverse World to create the most powerful evil spirits, ultimately merging Japan, China, and the entire world with the Reverse World.
It wasn't out of a desire to rule the world, nor for any particular reason.
She simply wanted to do it.
But Rikka Sakuragawa never expected that, despite always pretending to be normal, leaving no evidence, and having all actions carried out by Izanami, she had still been discovered?
How... how was this possible!?
Rikka Sakuragawa was intelligent, but not intelligent enough to compete against both L and Light Yagami simultaneously.
Just through criminal psychological profiling and thorough investigations within Osaka, she had already been identified as the target by those two.
Moreover, that faction also had Ye Xing, who was practically cheating.
The moment Rikka Sakuragawa's name became known to him, she had already fallen into a dead end.
Wasn't this another form of the Death Note in a way?
"Only... one last method remains..."
Rikka Sakuragawa looked at the magazine in her hand, which featured an article about an annual shrine festival held on a remote island with few residents and a harmonious atmosphere.
"This is the only way... only there... can I create power sufficient to resist Mask..."
...
Meanwhile, in Kyoto, atop the office building renovated by Yukinoshita Construction Company.
The members who had just appeared on camera, along with L, who hadn't shown his face, had all gathered here.
"Are you certain it won't leave any traces?"
Faced with Mai Sakurajima's question, L took a chocolate from his pocket and nibbled on it, waving his hand dismissively.
"Don't worry. All these years, my true appearance and name have never been exposed. As a world-class hacker, merely hacking and altering a television broadcast image won't leave any traces."
Hearing L's response, Mai Sakurajima and the others still seemed rather unconvinced.
What they doubted wasn't his words, but the person himself.
Anyone would have the same reaction as Mai Sakurajima and the others.
The world's greatest detective, who had been pursuing Kira all along, upon learning the true identity of the Mask, hadn't reported to the Metropolitan Police Department or taken any other action, but instead directly chose to become an accomplice?
This was simply too absurd.
Sensing Mai Sakurajima and the others' somewhat suspicious gazes, Ye Xing wore an expression of speechless exasperation.
"I must emphasise once again, L wants to join because that's the kind of person he is. It has nothing to do with me. What exactly do you mean by looking at me with those succubus-staring eyes?"
"Really no connection?"
Light Yagami spoke up, smiling.
"If it were my decision rather than yours, between believing L's words and killing him to eliminate future trouble, I would choose the latter. From that perspective, L joining is your achievement."
To be honest, if not for Ye Xing's typically prominent lecherous side and his consistently active performance in nocturnal activities, the Supernatural Society members might have started suspecting he had some peculiar preferences.
Light Yagami was one thing, and now this L character - both had actually become allies.
What kind of strange constitution was this?
However, although the Supernatural Society members still couldn't completely trust L, they could recognise the value this famous detective brought.
Metropolitan Police Department resources, intelligence networks within official institutions, that demon-like terrifying deductive mind, and now adding to that, connections capable of finding world-class hackers for assistance.
If someone with Izanami's abilities wasn't Rikka Sakuragawa but L instead...
That would be the most troublesome and fearsome enemy imaginable.
"Alright, since the warning letter has been sent, we can now begin speculating about the enemy's next move."
L glanced at those present and spoke calmly.
"First, eliminate Kyoto and Tokyo as possibilities. Then, considering Rikka Sakuragawa's cautious personality, we can also exclude cities with high population density where she'd be easily exposed."
Hearing this, Rio Futaba adjusted her glasses and added in a flat tone.
"Combined with her brainwashing ability, we should also rule out remote mountainous areas with few inhabitants. If Ye Xing's plan has taken effect, she should now prioritise her own safety and won't act alone anymore."
"Without people to convert, Rikka Sakuragawa is essentially powerless. But if she converts people remotely one by one, the movements of spiritual power users could be monitored by us, even tracked, allowing us to locate her true form."
"So her best option is to go somewhere less conspicuous but with a reasonable population, directly converting local people to use as movable pieces."
After hearing Rio Futaba's analysis, L nodded.
"Yes, your conclusion matches mine. I'll contact the Metropolitan Police Department to implement strict control over major transportation routes. Although it's unlikely Rikka Sakuragawa would hide in remote mountains, we should still deploy personnel there as a precaution."
After saying this, L stood up, let out a long yawn, rubbed his eyes and waved his hand.
"Right, if there's nothing else, I'll return to Tokyo now."
When he reached the doorway, L suddenly seemed to remember something and said calmly.
"Oh, to minimise identity exposure, you can call me Ryuzaki from now on. Consider it a codename."
After L left, before the other members could speak, Tamamo-no-Mae suddenly moved close to Ye Xing and whispered.
"Lord Ye Xing, do you think... that person called Rikka Sakuragawa might seek help from some powerful evil spirits... or perhaps deities?"
"Well, you know, that really might be possible."
Seeing Ye Xing acknowledge her proposed idea, Tamamo-no-Mae looked utterly pleased with herself, tilting her chin toward the Matchmaking Deity on the other side as if showing off.
The Matchmaking Deity herself was lightly biting her teeth, appearing both frustrated and unwilling to concede.
It was truly strange when you thought about it.
The Matchmaking Deity got along well with everyone, including spectres like Hachishaku-sama, Menma, and Kuchisake-onna - yet for some reason, she and Tamamo-no-Mae couldn't stand each other.
Perhaps this was what they called elemental incompatibility.
"In that case..."
Miko Yotsuya, who had also heard Tamamo-no-Mae's suggestion, spoke thoughtfully.
"We'll need to ask Mr Oda and Godmother Granny for help, and Miss Natsumi Suga as well, hoping they might uncover some useful information."
"Sigh..."
Yui Yuigahama rested her chin in her hands and let out a helpless sigh.
"Last summer holiday, we were chasing a serial killer, and now winter break has barely started before we're tracking this Rikka Sakuragawa... it's really quite complicated..."
Mai Sakurajima patted Yui Yuigahama's shoulder and comforted her with a smile.
"Well, there's no helping it. After all, we're the ones who have to protect the world."
As the members were heading out, Kazusa Touma suddenly tugged at Ye Xing's sleeve.
"What's wrong?"
"Um..."
Kazusa Touma pressed her lips together and spoke softly.
"I know this might sound a bit selfish... but I... want you to give me a present."
"That's all?"
Seeing Kazusa's adorable expression mixing awkwardness with shyness, Ye Xing gently kissed her forehead before speaking with a smile.
"You're my girlfriend. Isn't it perfectly normal for couples to exchange gifts? There's nothing to be embarrassed about."
"But... I heard that if a girl actively asks her boyfriend for gifts... she might be seen as a gold-digger..."
"Don't worry, in my heart, you have absolutely nothing to do with that term."
Ye Xing comforted her in a gentle tone.
Kazusa Touma, a gold-digger?
Don't make me laugh.
Her mother, Youko Touma, was incredibly wealthy, not just a world-class pianist but also the owner of her own enterprise. If you really compared, it was hard to say whether the Yukinoshita sisters or Kazusa Touma came from better financial circumstances.
"That's good to hear."
Hearing Ye Xing's words, Kazusa showed a sweet smile and took out her phone. With her slender, pale index finger, she swiped a few times on the screen, pulling up three photos which she then showed him.
"Any of these three would be fine, but what I really want most is this one."
Kazusa pointed to the famous sword in the photo that had Buddhist prayer beads wrapped around its hilt, clearly an ancient artefact.
"Please give me this one - the Juzumaru Tsunetsugu."
"Eh? The Juzumaru Tsunetsugu, one of the Five Great Swords of Japan?"
"Yes, is something wrong?"
Seeing Ye Xing's somewhat surprised expression, Kazusa immediately put on a pitiful look, even managing to conjure tears at the corners of her eyes as she looked up at him.
"N... not allowed? Please?"
Faced with such an adorable, contrast-playing Kazusa, Ye Xing surrendered.
"Alright, no problem."
Seeing Ye Xing agree, Kazusa Touma smiled delightedly, stood on her tiptoes, wrapped her arms around his neck, and gave him a long, deep kiss before blushing and saying, with a laugh.
"I knew my handsome, perfect boyfriend would indulge my whims."